Ukraine expects Russia to shift its winter campaign toward targeting the country's water infrastructure after extensively attacking its energy system, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has warned.
In an interview with POLITICO, Shmyhal said Moscow's strategy is aimed at undermining Ukraine's resilience and forcing Kyiv into concessions.
“Russia’s goal now is to destroy our water supplies. Last winter they targeted electricity and heating, but you could still survive if you had gas and water during electricity shutdowns,” Shmyhal said. “It is difficult to survive for more than three days without water and sewage.”
Shmyhal said Russia continues to seek to cripple Ukraine's economy and defence industry through attacks on critical infrastructure.
“Putin wants to finish off our energy system and derail our economy and weapons production,” he said. “He also hopes in winter our society will break from exhaustion, and pressure leadership to sign the surrender.”
According to Shmyhal, Ukraine has responded by striking Russian oil refineries, claiming the campaign has disrupted a significant share of Russia's refining capacity.
“It’s like the 12th round and each boxer hopes their rival will fall first,” Shmyhal said.
The minister said Ukraine is strengthening its energy resilience by constructing protective shelters for electricity, water and gas facilities, while deploying modular boilers and power generators that are harder to target.
He also stressed that Ukraine urgently needs additional Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks, as well as hundreds of millions of euros in funding to repair and reinforce its energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
Despite the challenges, Shmyhal expressed confidence that Ukraine would endure another winter of attacks.
“He will bleed, but he will drag us into the winter," Shmyhal said. "This is a pessimistic scenario, but my optimism is that we will survive this winter; we are ready for it."
By Sabina Mammadli
